Quick question
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
From: Pennsylvania
2000 S430, 2002 Range Rover HSE 1985 BMW 535 (Sold), 99 BMW 530 (R.I.P), 98 Mazda Millenia (R.I.P)
Quick question
Hey guys....looking at my gearbox, I notice there is a button with a "W" and an "S". What is this button for?
Thanks in advance!!!
Thanks in advance!!!
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,572
Likes: 3,682
From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Btw. The only difference is that the Winter mode starts in second gear instead of first.
Come to think of it, I never used that one, even in snow. Does anybody ever
Wolfman
Come to think of it, I never used that one, even in snow. Does anybody ever
Wolfman
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 264
Likes: 0
From: oak brook, il
Originally Posted by jahummer
I use W for day to day commute, seems to shift more smoothly and maybe has better fuel usage.
Nobody in Tampa Bay should have to use the W setting
You won't get better mileage starting off in 2nd gear, this is to minimize spin/maximize traction in snow
ps: naijaman, read/get yourself an owners manual, try to be more specific with your thread titles....
Trending Topics
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,572
Likes: 3,682
From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Originally Posted by jahummer
I use W for day to day commute, seems to shift more smoothly and maybe has better fuel usage.
Actually what you will get is the standard shift pattern of the previous S-Class which always started from 2nd gear (unless you went past the kick-down). This was much lamented and finally changed by MB.
Wolfman
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Dubai Tuner Gives the Mercedes G-Class An Entirely New Look
Verdad Gallardo
Six Gift Ideas Your AMG Loving Dad or Grad Will Cherish
7 Craziest Things AMG Gas Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
New Electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe Unveiled: 10 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)
Verdad Gallardo
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Out Of Control!!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 12,744
Likes: 3
From: Houston Texas
Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
Originally Posted by benzboy
W=winter S=summer 
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 9,155
Likes: 20
From: Southern, CA.
V12-Biturbo
Dude you hit the nail on the head.....
Originally Posted by sportlichE430
Jahummer,
Nobody in Tampa Bay should have to use the W setting
You won't get better mileage starting off in 2nd gear, this is to minimize spin/maximize traction in snow
ps: naijaman, read/get yourself an owners manual, try to be more specific with your thread titles....
Nobody in Tampa Bay should have to use the W setting
You won't get better mileage starting off in 2nd gear, this is to minimize spin/maximize traction in snow
ps: naijaman, read/get yourself an owners manual, try to be more specific with your thread titles....
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 627
Likes: 1
From: The Earth
Mercedes all the way!
e420benz: drive to the nearest dealer is the best i can think of! hopefully just a physical thing that should be easily corrected.
actually, for some reason i do find the shifting speed to be different between S and W mode. it seems to "slur" shifts more in W. the result is a bit more hesitation between changing gears. always find it more snappy in S. might be my imagination, but i don't think so :p
actually, for some reason i do find the shifting speed to be different between S and W mode. it seems to "slur" shifts more in W. the result is a bit more hesitation between changing gears. always find it more snappy in S. might be my imagination, but i don't think so :p
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,005
Likes: 33
From: Germany
'00 S320 W220, '98 A160 W168/ sold in 2005 '86 260 E W124 '90 260E W124
If the switch is stuck, I have seen in a thread somewhere this switch is an integral part of the shifter box and you need to swap the electrical part of the shifter box too. EXPENSIVE :-(
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 260
Likes: 0
From: US-Philadelphia
SL600
S=Standard
W=Winter/Wet
In the W mode, in addition to starting in second gear, the car also uses a second reverse gear to minimize slip.
Also, upshifts happen at lower RPMs, again to minmize slipping--this probably explains why it feels like it is shifting smoother.
I use the W mode whenever it rains to keep my urge for out-of-the-gate acceleration under control.
W=Winter/Wet
In the W mode, in addition to starting in second gear, the car also uses a second reverse gear to minimize slip.
Also, upshifts happen at lower RPMs, again to minmize slipping--this probably explains why it feels like it is shifting smoother.
I use the W mode whenever it rains to keep my urge for out-of-the-gate acceleration under control.
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: South Pasadena FL
2002 S600 Designo
For those of you who need owners manual.
Go to this site and register your car with Mercedes. After you have completed registration, you may download your owners manual. It is a .pdf file.http://www.mbusa.com/index.do
